DUDLEY, Mass. (Feb. 3) – Nichols College sophomore men's basketball forward Ryan Sheehan has been named to the 2011-12 CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District men's basketball team, it was announced Thursday. One of six honorees in the district, Sheehan is one of just two sophomores selected from Division III nationwide.

The forward parlayed his stellar rookie season into an outstanding sophomore campaign in which he leads the Bison and ranks second in the Commonwealth Coast Conference with 18.2 points per game. His 84.7% free throw percentage (94-111) leads the CCC. Averaging 32.8 minutes a game, Sheehan has had five 20+ point games and has scored 30 or more on three occasions this season, including a career-high of 37 twice. He helped the Bison rebound from a 2-8 start to the season to win the four of their last five games.

The CCC, ECAC DIII New England and d3hoops.com Northeast Rookie of the Year in 2011, Sheehan led the nation's rookies in scoring with 20.1 points per game, totaling 482 during the season. He is closing in on the 1,000 point mark as just a sophomore, needing just 154 to hit the mark.

Off the court, Sheehan is equally impressive, landing a spot on the President's List all three semesters on the Hill, while majoring in international business. He is a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and a participant in the Student-Athlete Leadership Program. He volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters on weekly basis, and helped develop architectural plans for future renovations at the Nichols Athletics Center. During the summers, Sheehan volunteers at his former high school as a basketball camp counselor and coach.

Sheehan moves on to the ballot for the Academic All-America team, which will be voted on and announced later this month.